KARACHI: Members of the Pakistan Bar Council have strongly condemned a raid on the offices and residence of Senator Kamran Murtaza, Advocate Supreme Court and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. They declared it as an arbitrary and unlawful act aimed at harassing him and his family.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the council members said the raid, carried out on November 7 by unidentified persons, included harassment of family members and vandalism.

The statement was signed by Abid Shahid Zuberi, Muhammad Maqsood Buttar, Abdul Sattar Khan, Munir Ahmed Kakar, Shafqat Mehmood Chauhan, Salman Akram Raja, Salahuddin Ahmed, Qazi Muhammad Arshad; all are PBC members.

The Council members alleged that such actions had increasingly been used as a tool to target political opponents, deprive them of fundamental and human rights, and implicate them in fabricated cases.

The statement further alleged that notices had been unlawfully issued to Senator Murtaza by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), while his bank accounts had also been frozen.

The signatories linked the action to Murtaza’s association with the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam -Fazl (JUI-F), led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and his criticism of, what they described as, state repression and the persecution of political opponents.

They also expressed concern over, what they termed, the erosion of constitutional governance, alleging that the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments had undermined judicial independence. They criticised the imposition of emergency and Governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Reaffirming solidarity with Senator Murtaza and his family, the council members called on the authorities to order an immediate and impartial investigation, hold those responsible accountable and ensure the safety and protection of the senator and his family.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026